From left: outgoing General Services Department Secretary Robert Doucette and incoming acting Secretary Anna Silva. (Courtesy of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office).
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday that Robert Doucette, the secretary of New Mexico’s General Services Department, will step down from the cabinet at the end of the month.
Doucette will be replaced by Anna Silva, the department’s deputy secretary, who will be the acting secretary.
The department has wide-ranging responsibilities from purchasing supplies and managing the state’s buildings to providing insurance for state agencies against claims of misconduct.
$20 million for state liability fund passed in New Mexico budget
In a phone call with Source NM, Doucette said it was time to move forward with new leadership in the department.
“I’m retiring, it’s been 27 years,” he said. “No one’s forcing me out; I’ve been at this for a while.”
In an email he sent out announcing his retirement to the department Friday, he described the decision as one of “mixed emotions, as I reflect on the incredible work we have accomplished together.”
Lujan Grisham appointed Doucette secretary in 2023. Before that, Doucette worked in the state workers’ compensation office, and held positions in Sandoval County government and the state insurance regulator’s office.
Silva’s accomplishments include introducing the state’s electronic procurement system, developing training for best practices for purchasing and overseeing state housing for veterans.
“I am confident that Anna Silva’s experience and dedication will ensure a smooth transition and continued success for the department,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement.
Doucette’s departure marks the fourth cabinet secretary to leave Lujan Grisham’s cabinet in recent months. High-profile resignations, often with immediate notice, include secretaries leading New Mexico’s health, education and aging services agencies.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.